India vs Sri Lanka match ends in a tie

Skipper Dhoni finds solace in the fact that India haven't lost their last two games in Adelaide

Skipper Dhoni finds solace in the fact that India haven't lost their last two games in Adelaide

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was disappointed that India could not pull off a win in yesterday's CB Series game against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval, but also felt chasing a target on such a big ground can be difficult and demanding.

MS Dhoni hits the final ball over extra cover for three runs during yesterday's ODI against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval. Pic/Getty Images

The India captain needed to score four runs off the last ball by Lasith Malinga, but only got three runs to level the scores. Both teams finished with 236 for nine. Dhoni scored 58 off 69 balls.

"It is disappointing not to win, but chasing twice (referring to Sunday's win over Australia too) in Adelaide and playing on such large grounds is not an easy task. In the end, we didn't lose either of the matches so I cannot be too unhappy," said Dhoni after yesterday's dramatic tie between the 2011 World Cup winners and runners-up.

Difficult to chaseDhoni believed chasing in Adelaide was a difficult proposition, especially on a pitch that was used two days ago for the India vs Australia match.

"If you look at the Adelaide wicket, it is like a sub-continental track where the ball slows up and turns in the second innings, so it is difficult to chase," said Dhoni. Apart from the wicket getting slow, Dhoni reckoned the slow outfield and long boundaries made the task even more difficult.

He was also thinking about the future when he claimed the youngsters needed to know how to chase on bigger grounds especially with the World Cup in Australia in three years' time: "On such grounds, it not easy to clear the boundaries so the youngsters have to learn to pick up the twos and threes.

"It is important for youngsters to get exposed to playing on big grounds, but on the other hand, it is also demanding on everyone's body. There is lot more diving and sliding which is extremely demanding on the body."

The captain felt Gautam Gambhir's run out was a turning point. "I thought Gautam and I were batting well, but then I gave a bad call. That is how cricket goes sometimes."

The tied result got India to top the points tally ahead of Australia. Sri Lanka have yet to register a win.